Teach your dog to ring a bell to let you know she wants out!

This post brought to you by Sponsored by Purina. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Surf and Sunshine.

I remember the first time we went to see our puppy, Zoey. She was just a few weeks old when we went to our breeders house to meet and choose the newest addition to our family. As I sat on the floor amid a pile of a puppies, I suddenly heard the tinkle of a bell. Frowning, I looked around – everyone was centered in the living room. Cindy, our breeder, explained that her dog was letting her know that he wanted out by ringing the bell attached to the door. What kind of genius sorcery was this?! No scratching, no barking, no whining and pacing around the living room? I HAD to the know the secret. It turns out it wasn’t as magical as it seemed, just the effort of a two part trick.

The first thing you’re going to want to do is zip over to your local Dollar General for treats. They have convenient parking right up front and an entire aisle dedicated to pets food, treats and toys for both cats and dogs. They carry more than a few varities of Purina Brand treats including the famous Beggin’ Strips, Waggin’ Train, Baked Delights, T Bonz and more. Like me, my dog loves Bacon. Which is why she enjoys Beggin’ Strips so much, so of course those were a great training aid. It’s important to use a treat your pet enjoys!

Might as well pick up some Dollar General Alpo Products like Purina Dog chow and toys for your new pet while you’re there too, right? One of the great things about Purina Dog chow is that is grows with your pet. We all know how rough it can be on your pets digestive system to switch their food. It’s great that Purina allows you to start with their Puppy Chow, then Dog Chow and eventually to their Senior Feed.

Okay, once you have those and you’re back home in a quiet, distraction free area, it’s time to work on the first trick: touch.

Trick #1 Touch

Step 1: Sandwich a small treat between your thumb and palm, hand outstretched.
Step 2: You pet is going to smell the treat and of course, come looking. As soon as your dog touches your hand with his nose or mouth reward with the treat and some loving.
Step 3: Next time she touches your hand, reward her and give the command “touch” at the same time.
Step 4: Once your dog can touch on command, you’re ready for the next trick.

Trick #2 Ring The Bell

Step 1: Place your hand behind the bell and command touch.
Step 2: When she touches the bell, treat.
Step 3: When she touches the bell on her own, make a big deal and reward.
Step 4: Now, whenever you take your pet outside, have her touch the bell first. Instead of treating, the reward is to open the door (but of course you can treat as well).
Step 5: Within a few days your dog will learn that she will be let out whenever she rings the bell.

Enter the #DGPetDash Contest on Instagram to win $100 worth of free pet food/treats from Purina. Entering is easy, fill 1 Dollar General shopping bag with pet items from Dollar General and upload a photo of their haul to Instagram with the #DGPetDash hashtag. The photo with the most likes will receive $100 worth of free pet food/treats from Purina (in the form of 5 $20 Purina manufacturer coupons).

Ashley spends her days avoiding run-ons as she turns words from yellow to chartreuse and wearing out the M & N keys writing about Travel, DIY, and Tech. She hopes to inspire the masses to travel and LIVE happily one InstaTweetPin at a time.

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Rarely caught without a camera, Jeana is an adventurous traveler with a passion for people, cultures and food that has led her to 43 countries and counting. When she's not using her powers for social good, she enjoys photography, cooking and building LEGOs with her son. On occasion, you may also find her crocheting cute things to hide in her husband's underwear drawer.